The location of their wedding was ‘one of the easiest’ decisions for the couple. They opted for Bríd’s local parish church in Lisheen – now put on the map due to its famous rowers!

Pic: Davitt Vaughan

The West Cork Hotel in Skibbereen was booked for the reception as it had been the place for all of Bríd’s family celebrations – including her parents wedding over 30 years ago.

‘The hotel owners Timmy and Marian along with their exceptional staff attended to our every need,’ Bríd enthused.

The bride and groom were keen to share the experience and build up of their wedding with the friends and family and were thrilled with the support they got coming up to the big day.

Pic: Davitt Vaughan

‘We were lucky that my mom and aunts took on the entire flower-arranging for the wedding and decorated the church and reception venue!’ Bríd smiled.

As a lover of arts and crafts, Bríd was more than happy to take on the task of upcycling jars and tins to give them a vintage look and filling them with fresh flowers as pretty centrepieces.

Bríd and Colm decorated their drinks reception venue – the newly refurbished Daly’s Storehouse at the West Cork Hotel – with home made bunting, wooden centre pieces and various vintage inspired props!

Pic: Davitt Vaughan

The bride bought her dress in Unique Bridal in Castleisland, Co. Kerry.

‘It was one of the first dresses I tried on and I fell instantly in love with it,’ Bríd admitted. ‘Dee and her staff were always very helpful and assisted with all the alterations and accessories.

The pearl-embellished dress was set off perfectly with a handmade brooch bouquet made by her bridesmaid Muireann – who had made it forher friend Mary’s wedding day.

‘It was my something borrowed!’ Bríd grinned.

Pic: Davitt Vaughan

The couple agreed that the wedding was relaxed and enjoyable – but passed far too quickly!

Bríd spent the morning with her family and bridesmaids in her home being pampered by her close friends Karen O’Connor (hair dresser) and make-up artist Tara O’Halloran-Cronin.

‘We decided to break tradition and meet the morning of our wedding to take all our photographs so we could spend the drinks reception with our guests,’ Colm said.

Pic: Davitt Vaughan

The ‘First Look’ happened on the old Railway Bridge beside the hotel that morning and from there they went to Lough Hyne for photos with their bridal party before returning to the hotel for family photographs.

The ceremony took place at 3pm with the grounds decorated in Cork and Kilkenny (Colm’s native county!) bunting as well as oars to symbolise the couple’s shared love of rowing.

In another break with tradition, the newlyweds decided to make their speeches during the drinks reception rather than at the dinner!

Pic: Davitt Vaughan

After the meal, they held a ‘highly competitive duck race’ on the Ilen River adjacent to the hotel before dancing the night away to The Pearls wedding band!

When pressed for a highlight, both agreed that the first look photographs captured beautifully by their photographer was a big one.

‘Also our first dance is up there,’ added Bríd. ‘We had attended a dance class in the lead up to the big day and it was a part of the day we were most nervous about!

‘But, with Nat King Cole accompanying us we were able to foxtrot our way through an enjoyable first dance as husband and wife!’

Pic: Davitt Vaughan

The couple wanted to showcase West Cork and local suppliers during the wedding and used local craft beers from the West Cork Brewing Company as well as local Glenilen lemonade for our drinks reception.

Guests also enjoyed handmade chocolates from Skellig Chocolate after dinner, the wedding invites and wedding stationery were designed by Dominic Casey from Marsh Media and The Formal Suite provided the suits.

‘Dan and his staff ensured all the men were looking their best,’ grinned Colm. ‘It was difficult to just pick one supplier as all the suppliers couldn’t have done more for us!’

Pic: Davitt Vaughan

Although there were no disasters on the day, there was one thing that caused quite a stir at the start of the ceremony…

‘The bride is usually the one to be late,’ Bríd observed, ‘but on arriving at the altar to meet Colm, there was no sign of our priest!

‘He turned up a few minutes later to a round of applause!’

Pic: Davitt Vaughan

As far as advice for newly-engaged couples, Bríd and Colm simply say to do what you want and to keep your plans to yourself.

‘The more people you tell about your plans you invite opinion and sometimes your plan changes!’ Colm explained.

Bríd agreed saying: ‘Try and relax and enjoy your day.

‘All your guests will and even if little things go wrong, people don’t always notice the details that aren’t quite the way you wanted them to be!’

Pic: Davitt Vaughan

Thank you so much to Bríd and Colm for sharing the details of their amazing day with us!

If you’d like your wedding featured on EVOKE.ie, email us at realweddings@evoke.ie for details.